Windmill



3 Sheets.-Sheet '3.

(No Model.)

G. 0. FLAGG.

WINDMILL.

Patented Sept. .8, 1896 WASWNGTON n c UNITED S A S] PATENT OFFICE. g,

GEORGE o. FLAGG, or LE w I sTown, ILLINOIS.

WINDMILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 561339, dated September8, 1896.

' Application filed May 31, 1895. Serial No. 551,253. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE O. FLAGG, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lew istown, in the county of Fulton and State of Illinois,have invented a newfarld useful Windmill, of which thefollowing is aspeci-' fication.

The invention relates to improvements in windmills. r

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofwindmills, to in- Y crease their strength, durability, and efliciency,and to enable them to be constructed with a minimum amount of material.

A further object of the invention is to enable the power of the windmillto be eX- pended to the greatest advantage in the operation of pumps andto give to the pump-rod a short quick downstroke when but little forceis required and to exert onthe pumprod a strong steady upward pull orreciprocation at a time when the greatest power is required to thewater.

-Another object of the invention is to enable the bearings of thewindmill to be oiled automatically, without necessitatinga personascending the tower, and to provide means for throwing the wind-wheelout of the wind having a minimum amount of friction on its parts duringthe operation of the windmill, and to provide an efficient brake forlocking the wind-wheel against rotation when thrown out of the wind. 1 j

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a windmillconstructed inaccordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view ofthe upper portion. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal sectional view. Fig. 4 isadetail end elevation of the upper portion of thewindmill. Fig. 5 is adetail view of the oscillating guide-arm. Fig. 6 is a detail sectionalview of the oil-receptacle. Fig; 7 is a horizontal sectional view of thetower. Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view of a portion of produce thedesired elevation of Like numerals of reference indicate oorrespondingings. v

1 designates a tower, rectangular in horizontal section, and provided atthe corners with bottom outwardly-inclined supportingbars and upperinner and outer inwardly-inclined guy-rods 3 and 4, secured at theirlower ends to the upper terminals of the supporting-bars 2 andconnected, respectively, at their a central tubular. standard 5. Thelower end of the'tubular standard is threaded at 6 and receives a nut 7,and passes loosely through an opening in a horizontal support 8, whichis connected with the adjaoentterminals of the guy-rods 3 and 4 and thesupporting-bars 2 by horizontal struts or braces 9, and which isconnected with the lowerter minals of the supporting-bars 2byinwardlyinclined braces 10. the supporting-bars 2 and the'inclinedbraces 10. areoonn'ected by horizontal bars 2, located at the base ofthe tower adjacent to anchors 13. This construction prevents the partsfrom spreading at the base of the tower.

The support 8 is substantially rectangular,

parts in all the figures of the draw- The lower terminals of upper endsat different elevations to posed, and the bars and rods may beconstructed of any suitable material, such as flanged or channel metalor tubular metal, as 1 such is preferable to solid bars for the reasonthat .the lightness .of the tower will be increased without diminishingitsstrength.

The upper ends of the guy-rods 3 and 4 are secured to the tubularstandard by means of annular flanges or collars l1 and 12, and

the parts of the tower by the arrangement described form a trussframework, and the tension of all the parts may be increased andregulated by means of the nut 7 atthe lower end of the tubular standard.The lower terminals of the supporting-bars 2 and the inwardly-inclinedbraces 10 are secured to the anchors 13, designed to be embedded in asuitable foundation, in order to form a firm support for the tower andto obtain the necessary hold.

Horizontally-disposed rungs or pieces 14 are designed to be clipped orotherwise secured to the vertical tubular standard and are arranged atintervals to form a ladder to enable a person to readily ascend thetower to a platform 15,composed of a suitable frame-' work.

The upper end 16 of the tubular standard is threaded and has arranged onit a cupshaped nut 17, composed of a lower body portion, having athreaded opening and screwing on the threaded portion of the top of thestandard, and an annular flange 18,extending upward from the bottom orbody portion of the nut and arranged parallel with the upper extremityof the tubular standard, which projectsabove the bottom of the nut andhas its upper edge arranged flush or in the same, horizontal plane asthe upper edge of the flange 18. The flange. of the nut 17 and the upperextremity of the tubular standard form an annular groove or recess toreceive a depending. annular flange 19 of a top plate 20 of a rotaryframe or turn-table 21.

The rotary frame or turn-table is-composed of opposite sides and top andbottom plates or portions connecting. the sides and completing theframe, and provided with central openings for the reception of thetubular standard,anda pump-rod 22. The cup-shaped nut and thedependingflange 19 of the top plate 20 of the rotary frame or turn-tableform a bearing for'the turn-table, and the main weight of the latterlies below the cup, and lugs 23 are provided on the frame or turn-tableand are located below the nut 17 and prevent the flange from becomingdisengaged from the annular recess or groove of the nut.

The rotary frame or turn-table is provided atopposite sides with tubularbearin gs 24 and 25, disposed horizontally and receiving, respectively,awind-wheel shaft 26 and a crankshaft 27, which are connected byelliptical gear-Wheels 28 and, 29 of the same size, and provided withthe same number of peripheral teeth. The shafts 26 and 27, which arearranged in the same horizontal plane, are disposed at opposite sides ofthe rotary frame and extend entirely across the same, and a long bearingis thus provided for the main or windwheel shaft.

The crank-shaft has a crank 30 at one end and is connected, by meanshereinafter described, with the pump-rod 22, which reciprocatesvertically in the usual manner. The elliptical gear-wheels 28 and 29 areprovided for'the purpose. of. expending the energy of the windmill tothe greatest advantage for the reciprocation of the pump-rod, which, inits vertical movements, requires but little power on the downstroke andmost of the power on the upstroke. With the ordinary crank mechanism,which makes no provision for this peculiarity of the pump-rod, the sameenergy is expended on the upstroke as on the down, resulting in theusual jerky motion incident to windmills, and retarding the speed of thewind-wheel and the other movable parts at one time-viz, the upwardreciprocation of the pump-rod-and suddenly freeing on the downwardreciprocation. The elliptical gearwheels provide for a sudden quickdownward movement of the pump-rod to produce the necessary rapidity ofthe reciprocation and cause a steady powerful lift to be given to thepump-rod without interfering with the steady continuous rotation of thegearing. Thus it will be seen that the operation of the mechanism of thewindmill is rendered steady and continuous, and is relieved of thesudden jerking movement incident to the ordinary construction ofwindmills, and that the pumprod is caused to reciprocate rapidlydownward, but is given a steady upward lift when it requires the powerof the windmill and when the power is expended to positive advantage,and is not unnecessarily expended on a downward stroke of the pump-rod.

The shaft 26 carries at its outer end a wind- 'wheel 31, which may be ofany desired construction.

The gear-wheel 29 is provided with a wristpin, and the crank 30 has asimilar arm or wrist-pin, which is located the same distance from theshaft 27 as the wrist-pin of the gearwheel 29, and is disposed directlyopposite the same. The crank 30 and the gear-wheel 29 are connected bysimilar parallel rods 32 with a substantially horizontally-disposedoscillating guide-arm or lever-frame 33, fulcrumed on a bracket arm orsupport 34 of the rotary frame or turn-table and connected with thepump-rod 22, and parallel rods form a double pitman connection and arelocated at oppositesides of the rotary frame or turn-table.

The arm or support 34 of the rotary turntable or frame inclines outward,as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the accompanyingdrawings, and the outerend of the oscillating guide-arm is bifurcated and pivoted to the upperend of the support or arm 34:. The oscillating guide-arm is composed oftwo slightlydiverging sides, provided at their inner ends with bearings,and receiving a transverse pin 35, which has its ends projectinglaterally from the sides of the oscillating arm, and connected to theupper terminals of the rods 32. A hinged block 36 is provided with abearing-opening and is located between the sides of the oscillatin g arm33, and is mounted on the pin 35, and has the pump-rod 22 secured to it.The block 36 is provided with a removable plate 37 for clamping thepumprod 22 to it, and the hinging of the block 36 to the oscillatingguide-arm 33 enables the latter to oscillate without interfering withthe vertical reciprocation of the pump-rod;

By arranging the shafts 26 and 27 in the same horizontal plane at theopposite sides of the pump-rod, and by disposing the wind- Wheel at oneside of the rotary frame and the gearing at the other side of thesame,the rotary frame is balanced, friction is reduced, and the windmill isenabled to respondreadily to the wind, thereby greatly facilitating theoperation of governing the windmill. The double crank-shaft has an evensquare lift at opposite sides of the rotary frame, thereby preventingany twisting frictional movement, and, if desired, the ellipticalgear-wheel may be duplicated in order to arrange a pair at oppositesides of the rotary frame.

The pump-rod 22 is hollow and is designed to serve as a conduit for alubricant, or, in other words, to serve as an oil-pipe to convey alubricant from the base of the tower to an oil-receptacle 38, whichcommunicates by oildistributing tubes 41 and 42 with the bearings ofthe-windmill. The oil-distributing tubes 4E1 are three in number, andcommunicate with the bearings 24Eand 25 of the rotary frame or turntableand with the cup-shaped nut 17 and these distributing-tubes are composedof two telescoping sections capable 'of sliding on each other to conformto the re ciprocation of: the pump-rod 22. The other distributing pipesor tubes 42 communicate with the bearings of the sides'of theoscillating guide-arm-33, the-bearing of the block 36, and theconnecting-rod 32, which are hollow or tubular, and serve as the meansfor lubricating the wrist-pins of the elliptical gear-wheel 29 and thecrank 30. As there is comparatively little movement of the inner end ofthe oscillating arm relative to the re ciprocating oil-receptacle 38, itis not necessary for the distributing-oil tube 42 to be constructed oftelescoping sections.

Any suitable construction of oil-pump may be provided at the base of thetower for forcing oil'th'rongh the tubular pump-rod, and the upperend ofthe latter is provided with an elbow extension 43, passing through anopening in the back of the oil-receptacle and extending through atransverse'slot or openin g 44 of an oscillating oil-distributer 45. Theoscillating oil-distributer is pivoted at its upper end in theoil-receptacle and is provided with a tapering funnel-shaped lowerportion having a discharge tube or neck and a bowl. The bottom of theoil-receptacle 38 is provided with a series of oil-cells 46, formed bypartitions 47 and each communicating'with one of the oil-distributingtubes. The upper portions of the partitions 47 are free and are adaptedto be bent toward the adjacent partitions to contract the mouth of acell or enlarge the same to regulate the supply of oil for anyparticular bearing. As the distributor is oscillated back and forthwithin the oilreceptacle 38 the oil discharged fromthe neck or spoutfalls into the oil-ce1ls,andthe wider the upper portion or mouth of thecell the greater will be the oil dropped into the same,

as will be readily understood.

The'pivot 48 of the oscillating distributer has fiXedto it an arm 49,extending substantially horizontally from the pivot and pro-' jectingbeyond one side of the oil-receptacle and pivotally connected to theupper end of a stationary or fixed supporting-rod 50, which is mountedon the rotary frame or turn-table, whereby, when the pump-rod and theoil-receptacle 38, which is carried by the same, are verticallyreciprocated, the oil-distributer 45 will be oscillated within theoil-receptacle.

Instead of forcing the oil upward through the hollow pump-rod thereceptacle 38 may be supplied with oil from any other source, such as bymounting a tank on the tower or other portion of the windmill. Anindicator may also be provided to enable a person at the'base of thetower, when the windmill is thrown out of the wind, to locate theposition of the oscillatingdistributer, in order that any particularbearing may be supplied with oil.

The Wind-wheel is held in the wind by a vane 51', hinged to the extremetop and bottom of the rotary frame or turn-table to avoid interferingwith the gearing, and the vane isconnected by a link-rod 52 with .aweighted lever 53, which is adapted to maintain the vane in a positionat right angles to the windwheel, and the Weight of the lever 53 is adjustable, in order ,to regulate the tower of the windmill, as will bereadily understood.

The vane is provided with upper and lower rods 51 and 51 which aresupported by an inclined bracing-rod 51 and bya vertical supporting-rod51. The inclinedbracing-rod eX- tends from the inner end'of the' lowerrod 51 to the inner end of the upper rod 1*, and the Verticalsupporting-rod 51 is arranged at the outer ends of the'rods. The innerterminals of the lower rod 51 and theinclined bracingrod'51 areextended, forming arms andprovided with vertical pintles, which are ar-'ranged in suitable eyes at the top and bottom of the rotary frame.

The windmill is thrown out of the Wind by an operating-lever 5i,fulcruined interme-. diate of its ends on a support of the platform 15,and connected at its outer end to an op-- The inner end of crating ropeor wire 55. the' operating lever is connected witha weighted lever 53 byupper and lower rods 56 and '57, pivoted, respectively, to the saidlevers at their outer ends, and provided'at their adjacent ends withcollars 58 and 59,-

and these collars are rigidly secured'to their respective rods. Thecollars 58 and 59 are separated and out of contact when the wind-' millis in operation, and the lower'one remains stationary with the tower,while the upper one is adapted to rotate with the turntable or rotaryframe. when it is desired to throw the wind-wheel out of the wind, thelower rod 57 is moved upward by the operating-lever, carrying itscollar" 59 into contact'with the collar 58 and forcing the weightedlever upward to cause'the vane to swing in a plane parallel with that ofthe accompanying drawings.

wind-wheel, as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the The wind-wheel, when thrownout of the wind, is locked against rotation by a brake 60, composed of apair of levers 61 and 62, connected by a link 63, and provided at theiradjacent ends with brake blocks or shoes, located at the inner and outerperipheries of an annular flange 64:, carried by the wind- Wheel. Thelever 61 is fulcrumed on a bracket or support of the rotary frame orturn-table, and the other lever 62 is fulcrumed on the outer end of thelink 63. The adjacent ends of the levers are out of contact with theannular flange 64: when the wind-wheel is in operation, and is incontact with a resilient arm or stop 65, mounted on the turn-table orrotary'frame, and consisting, preferably, of a leaf-sprin g, andarranged to receive the vane when thrown into the wind and adapted toprevent injury to the same by cushioning the vane.

The lever 62 is provided in the path of the vane with a curved camportion- (36, which passes through a guide 67 of the vane, and which,when the vane is thrown out of the wind, is engaged by a roller (38, andis carried outward by the same, whereby the adjacent ends of the leversare caused to clamp the annular brake-flange of the wind-wheel to stopthe rotation of the same. The guide 67 is substantially U-shaped, and ismounted on a transverse bar of the vane, and the roller is arrangedvertically between the sides of the guide 67. As the vane swings to itsposition at right angles to the wind-wheel the levers 61 and 62automatically release the brake-flange 64:.

It will be seen that the windmill is simple and inexpensive inconstruction, that it is adapted to run at a uniform speed, producing asteady movement of its parts, devoid of sudden jerks, and that theexpenditure of the power of the windmill is peculiarly adapted forreciprocating pump-rods, as it permits a sudden rapid downward movementof the pump-rod and provides for a long steady powerful lift of thesame, without interfering with the continuous uniform rotation of thegearing and shafting and the other working parts of the windmill.

It will also be apparent that the bearings of the windmill may besupplied with oil and the various parts lubricated without ascending thetower, and that the distribution of the lubricant may be regulatedaccording to the quantity of oil required by the differ ent bearings.

The windmill may be readily thrown into and out of the wind, and theoperating mechanism is subjected to a minimum amount of friction,resulting from the operation of the windmill, and when the latter is notin operation the wind-wheel is locked against rotation. The towerpossesses the requisite strength and durability, and at the sametime islight and requires a minimum amount of material in its construction, andthe arrangement of the parts of the tower is such that a truss frame isformed, and the parts may, after being set up, be readily strained tothe desired tension by simply rotating the nut at the base of thetubular standard.

Changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of constructionmay be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificingany of the advantages of this invention.

What I claim is- 1. In a windmill, the combination of a centralstandard, having its lower end threaded, a support having an openingreceiving loosely the lower end of the standard, rods connected with thesupport and the standard and completing the tower, and a nut arranged onthe threaded portion of the standard and engaging the support, andadapted to strain the tower to the desired tension, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a windmill, the combination of a central vertical standard, asupport receiving the lower end of the standard, horizontal rodsextending outward from the support, the inwardly -inclinedupwardly-extending guy-rods, connected with the upper portion of thestandard and with the horizontal rods, the outwardly-inclined supportingbars 2, the inwardlyinclined braces 10 extending from the bottoms of thebars 2 to the support, and a nut arranged on the standard and engagingthe support, substantially as described.

3. In a windmill, the combination of a central tubular standard, asupport arranged at the lower end of the same, horizontal rods extendingoutward from the support, guy-rods arranged at an inclination andextending upward from the horizontal rods to the standard,supporting-bars extending upward from the base of the tower andconnected with the adjacent ends of the said rods, and braces extendingfrom the bottoms of the supportingbars to the support,substantially asdescribed.

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4. I11 a windmill, the combination of a tubular standard having athreaded upper portion, a cup-shaped nut arranged on the threadedportion of the standard and having its upwardly-extending flangeparallel with the upper extremity of the standard, and a substantiallyrectangular rotary frame or turn-table having a removable top providedwith a depending annular flange fitting in the recess vof the cup-shapednut, said frame being pro vided with inwardly-extending lugs 23 engagingunder the nut, substantially as described.

5. In a windmill, the combination of a rotary frame, a reciprocatingpump-rod, the wind-wheel, and the crank-shafts extending entirely acrossthe frame and located in the same horizontal plane at opposite sides ofthe pump-rod, a wind-wheel mounted at one side of the frame on thewind-Wheel shaft, gearing located at the opposite side of the frame,connecting said shafts to assist in counterbalancing the wind-wheel, theoscillating lever-frame fulcrumed at one end on the rotary frame, havingsides and receiving the pump-rod, means for connecting thepump rod withthe lever-frame, and rods located at opposite sides of the rotary frameand con necting the sides of the lever-frame with the ends of thecrank-shaft, whereby an even lift is effected-at both sides of thewindmill, substantially as described.

6. In a windmill, the combination of a rotary frame, a pump-rod, thewind-wheel and crank-shafts extending entirely across the rotary frameand located in the same horizontal plane at opposite sides of thepump-rod, a wind-wheel mounted on the wind-wheel shaft and located atone side of the rotary frame, gear-wheels located at the opposite sideof the rotary frame and connecting the shafts, a wrist-pin mounted onthe gear-wheel of the crank-shaft, a crank located at'the other end ofthe crank-shaft, an oscillating lever-frame f ulcrumed at one end of therotary frame and having sides and receiving the pump-rod between them, ablock secured to the pump-rod and arranged between the sides of theleverframe and connected with them, and a pair of rods located atopposite sides of the rotary frame, connected at their upper terminalswith the oscillating lever-frame and at their other ends with the crankand the wrist-pin, substantially as described.

7. In a windmill, the combination of a frame provided with bearings, atubular pump-rod forming an oil-supply tube, an oil-receptacle mountedon the pump-rod and carried by the same, and communicating therewith,and a series of supply-tubes extending from the oilreceptacle to thebearings, substantially as described.

8. In awindm ill, the combination of a frame provided with bearings, anoil-receptacle provided at its bottom with a series of cells,supply-tubes extending from the cells to the bearin gs,a movableoil-distributer mounted above the cells and adapted to supply the samewith oil, and means for operating the distributer,

substantially as described.

9. In awindmill, the combination of a frame provided with bearings,areciprocating pumprod, a receptacle mounted on the pump-rod and carriedby the same, and adapted to receive a lubricant, and telescoping oildistributer tubes extending from the receptacle to the bearings of theframe, and adapted to conform to the reciprocation of the pump-rod,substantially as described.

10. In a windmill, the combination of a receptacle provided at itsbottom with cells, oildistributing tubes leading from the cells, anoscillating oil-distributer mounted in the receptacle and located abovethe cells, and means for supplying the distributer with oil,substantially as described.

11. In a windmill, the combination of a frame, a reciprocating pump-rod,a receptacle mounted on and carried by the pump-rod and provided at itsbottom with cells, distributing-tubes leading from the cells, anoscillating'oil-distributer pivoted in the receptacle and located abovethe cells, an arm fixed to the pivot of the oscillating distribnter, andconnections between the arm and the frame,

whereby when the pump-rod is reciprocated I the distributer will beoscillated,substantially cells, substantially as described.

13. In a windmill, the combination of a frame, a wind-wheel having anannular flange or collar, a lever fulcrumed on the frame and arranged toengage one face of the flange or collar, an operating-lever connectedwith the other lever, and arranged to engage the opposite face of theflange or collar, and a vane connected with the operating-lever,substantially as described. a

14. In a windmill, the combination of a frame, a wind-wheel providedwith a flange or collar, a lever 61 fulcrumed on'the frame and arrangedto engage one face of the flange or collar, the lever 62 connected withthe lever 61, and arranged to engage the opposite face of the flange orcollar, and provided with a curved portion, and a vane arranged toengage the curved portion of the lever 62, substantially as described.

15. In a windmill, the combination of a frame, a wind-wheel providedwith an annular flange, the lever 61 fulcrumed on the frame and engagingthe'inner face of the 1 flange, the lever 62 engaging the outer face ofthe flange and provided with a curved portion, a link connecting thelevers, and a vane having a guide to receive the curved portion of thelever 62, and provided with a roller for engaging the same,substantially as described.-

16. In a windmill, thecombination of a tower, a rotary frame orturn-table mounted on the tower, a vane, a weighted lever connected withthe vane, an upper rod connected with the weighted lever and dependingtherefrom, and having its lower end arranged to rotate on the tower, anda lower rod mounted on the tower and arranged normally out'of contactwith the upper rod, and adapted to lift the same to throw the vane inposition to stop the wind-wheel, substantially as described.

17. In a windmill, the combination of a frame, a tower having a standardsupporting the frame, the vane mounted on the frame, aweighted leverfulcrumed on the frame and connected with the vane, an upper roddepending from the Weighted lever and provided at its lower end with acollar arranged on the standard of the tower, a lower rod provided atits upper end with a similar collar mounted 011 the standard andarranged normally out of contact with the said collar,

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and means for lifting the lower rod for throwing the wind-wheel out ofthe wind, substantially as described. I

18. In a windmill, the combination of a frame provided with bearings,the tubular pump-rod arranged vertically throughout the windmill andforming an oil-supply tube, an oil-receptacle mounted at the top of thewindmill and communicating with and receiving its supply of oil from thepump-rod, and a series of tubes extending from the oil-receptacle to thebearings, substantially as described.

19. In a windmill, the combination of a rotary frame or turn-table, apump-rod, the horizontal shafts 26 and 27 extending entirely across therotary frame and located in the same horizontal plane at opposite sidesof the pump-rod, a wind-wheel located at one side of the rotaryframe andmounted on the shaft 26, gearing located at the opposite side of therotary frame and connecting the shafts, and a double crank connectionbetween the ends of the shaft 27 and the pumprod, whereby an even squarelift will be ef

